World Famous Cookie?
One day but not today!
This is not a copycat recipe! I needed to start off with a disclaimer because this was an attempt! If you live in New York and don’t know who Jacques Torres is, then you’re either living under a rock or you don’t like sweets!
Jacques Torres, also known as Mr. Chocolate™, is a world-renowned chocolatier and pastry chef from France. He is celebrated for pioneering the bean-to-bar movement in New York and for his role as Head Judge on Netflix’s Nailed It! With numerous accolades, including the Meilleur Ouvrier de France and James Beard Awards, Jacques is a leader in the confectionery world and a dedicated philanthropist.
After discovering his iconic, world-famous chocolate chip cookies (which take 72 hours to make), I wanted to challenge myself to make these iconic cookies in just 14 minutes. The most important aspect of these amazing cookies is the high-quality chocolate. Originally, Jacques Torres uses disc-shaped dark chocolate, which creates perfect layers of cookie and chocolate!
I decided to alter my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe—it was one of the first cookie recipes I ever developed! It’s a really quick cookie dough recipe and requires no chill time!
Equipment:
• Mixing bowls (large and medium)
• Electric mixer or stand mixer
• Spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Cookie scoop (optional)
• Wire cooling rack
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (or 1 ¼ lb) semi-sweet chocolate discs
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy. This should take about 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla extract until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.
6. Using a spatula, gently fold the semi-sweet chocolate discs into the dough until evenly distributed.
7. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form dough balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft. For chewier cookies, bake closer to 18 minutes; for crisper cookies, bake closer to 20 minutes.
9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Baking Tips:
• Use room temperature butter: This ensures proper creaming with the sugars, which will give you a better texture in the finished cookies.
• Don’t overmix the dough: Overmixing can lead to tough cookies. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing.
• Chocolate discs vs. chips: Chocolate discs work better than chocolate chips because they create layers of chocolate throughout the cookie, leading to a gooey, luxurious texture. Guittard is a great brand to achieve those results. If using chocolate chips, the texture will be different but still delicious.
• Chilling the dough (optional): For extra flavor and texture, chill the cookie dough for at least 24 hours before baking. This allows the dough to hydrate and the flavors to deepen.
• Check your oven temperature: Ovens can vary in temperature. For best results, use an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the correct temperature.